When to Send Wedding Invitations and Save the Dates

January 23, 2023

One of the first questions we get asked from newly engaged couples is "When do we need to send our wedding invitations?" The simple answer is 2-3 months before your wedding, but the real answer is far more complicated.

How to Figure Out When to Send Your Wedding Invitations

When planning your wedding timeline, and figuring out when to book, order, and send your save the dates and invitations, there are a few things that will influence your timing:

Where are you getting married?
If you're getting married abroad or having a destination wedding where your guests will have to plan travel ahead, sending your invitations and save the dates earlier is good idea. For destination weddings, send your save the dates about one year in advanced, and send your wedding invitations 3-4 months before you plan to say "I Do."

Where are the majority of your guests coming from?
Similar to destination weddings, if your wedding is local to you, but most of your family and friends are coming from out of town, you'll want to give them extra time to book travel and save money, for the trip, if necessary. The opposite is true if your wedding is local to all of your friends and family. If everyone lives close by, you can send your invites 6-8 weeks before hand.

When is your wedding date?
If you just got engaged, but are planning to have a short engagement, we're 100% behind that, but it means you'll have to jump right in to announcing your big day. For weddings that are occurring in six months or fewer, we recommend skipping the save the date, and going straight to a wedding invitation. Send your invite 3-4 months prior, but know that depending on travel requirements, not everyone may be able to attend.

On the other hand, if you want a long engagement, this will allow you time to have a formal engagement party to share your excitement with close family and friends. You can then send Save the Dates 8-10 months before your wedding date, and formal invitations 2-3 months prior.

Who do you want designing your invitations?
If you want to work with a professional wedding stationer for custom wedding invitations, you mailing timeline remains the same, but you'll have to make sure to book them early. Typically custom wedding invitations take between 8-12 weeks to design (that means you should book them 4-6 months, or more, before you get married). At Tuesday Grace, we recommend booking us for custom invitations least 6 months before your wedding. CLICK HERE to schedule your first design consultation with us so we can send you a custom proposal.

What type of wedding invitations do you want?
This goes along with deciding who to order your invitations from. If you want invitations with all the bells and whistles, we're 100% here for it, but make sure you build a little extra time into your schedule to allow you stationer to cut, print, glue, stamp, tie, etc. those bells and whistles. If you're on a tight deadline, we recommend you explore our semi-custom collections, which offer elegant and timeless invitation designs available in 2-4 weeks after proof approval.